What happens if Liz Truss resigns today?
Prime Minister Liz Truss has had the worst start to her premiership than any other PM. And the last 48 hours in Westminster have been chaos.
There are rumours that the Liz Truss era is fast approaching its end, and many are plotting to oust her from No 10.
She has only been in the job since September 5.
In that time, the Queen died, Liz Truss crashed the economy, her mini-budget has been ripped up and replaced with policies that she campaigned against during the leadership race, she fired her chancellor and replaced him with a Rishi Sunak supporter, her home secretary resigned and offered up a scathing letter and there were reports of bullying from her cabinet at last night’s Commons vote.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was fired after the mini-budget spooked the financial markets. Many argue that Truss should have gone with him as it was her financial vision as his.
READ – PM in crisis: Suella Braverman quits and voting chaos
How does a Tory leadership election work?
According to the 1922 Committee, an incumbent Tory PM cannot face a confidence vote within their first year on the job. But there is speculation that this rule could be changed.
After that 12-month period, to trigger a contest vote, 15 per cent of Tory MPs would have to submit letters of no confidence to 1922 Committee chair, Sir Graham Brady. If at least 50 per cent of MPs then vote no-confidence in their leader, a leadership election begins.
Tory MPs who want to be in the race for the top job will then seek nominations from their colleagues. There will be a series of ballots which will see all the candidates whittled down to just two. The rank and file of the Conservative party will then choose the winner.
Boris Johnson won the general election in 2019 and although he was ousted and replaced with Truss there is no requirement for the Conservative party to call a general election.
Some MPs are understood to want to avoid putting the vote back to the ordinary members of the party. The Telegraph says some MPs want the parliamentary party to choose Truss’s successor, though others warn that this would require a complicated rule change.
This aligns with newspaper reports that say the Tories want to put Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt in office on a “golden ticket” type deal.
READ – Can Liz Truss save her job?
What happens if Liz Truss resigns today?
If Liz Truss resigns as Conservative leader and Prime Minister today, a leadership contest would begin.
Those wanting to get into No 10 would begin trying to get support for their campaign.
However, it is possible that the Tory parliamentary party could rally around a single candidate for the leadership. This would perhaps be seen as a better option as it will avoid time-wasting.
If Truss does not resign and attempts to cling on to power against the will of MPs and peers, the 1922 Committee could and would likely change the rules to allow an early challenge to her (changing the 12-month rule). This would likely see her removal from both leadership of the party and as prime minister.
Can we have a general election?
Labour and Liberal Democrats are amongst those calling for an early general election. But the government is not legally obliged to hold another general election before January 2025 – surely to the delight of Conservatives as the latest opinion polls suggest the Tories would lose most of their seats.
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Cliff Notes – Huge WWE SmackDown spoilers for tonight as best ever star returns
- Trish Stratus makes her highly anticipated return to WWE SmackDown, accepting a challenge from Tiffany Stratton for a title match at Evolution on July 13.
- This match marks Stratus’s first singles championship opportunity since her retirement match against Lita in 2006, solidifying her status as a legendary figure in women’s wrestling.
- The episode also features a tag team match with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vying for a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Championships, alongside other exciting bouts leading up to Evolution.
Huge WWE SmackDown spoilers for tonight as ‘best ever star’ returns
A beloved Hall of Famer is back on SmackDown tonight (Picture: WWE/Getty)***Warning – this article contains spoilers for this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown***
WWE fans tuning into SmackDown tonight are in for a treat as a Hall of Famer makes their return.
The sports Entertainment giant pre-taped this week’s episode immediately after Monday Night Raw earlier this week, in a rare move with all shows typically broadcast live.
During the segment, which will air tonight on Netflix, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton was in the ring with Queen of the Ring winner Jade Cargill to hype up their title match at SummerSlam in August
The champ insisted she also wanted to defend her title at Evolution, WWE’s all-women’s premium live event, on July 13.
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
In fan footage which did the rounds on social media, she was interrupted by legendary wrestler Trish Stratus, who accepted the challenge and set the stage for a dream match next week.
The Evolution bout will mark the Hall of Famer’s first shot at a singles championship since beating Lita in her original retirement match on Raw in 2006.
Trish Stratus appeared at Monday night’s tapings (Picture: WWE) She is set to face Tiffany Stratton at Evolution (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Trish is a decorated former Women’s Champion, and highly regarded as one of the best ever stars in the division’s storied history.
‘Trish has solidified herself as the best ever like no doubt,’ wrote @JameelCerulean on X earlier this year.
Elsewhere on tonight’s show, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss team up to take on The Secret Hervice and the duo of B-Fab and Michin.
The winner will get a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Championships at Evolution – but Metro has decided not to spoil the results of any of matches.
Fraxiom (Nathan Fraser and Axiom) are set to face new team Andrade and Rey Fenix in what should be a barnstormer of a match, while Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso come together against JC Mateo and new United States Champion Solo Sikoa.
WWE PLE schedule for 2025
NXT Great American Bash – July 12 WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event – July 12 WWE Evolution – July 13 WWE SummerSlam – August 2 & 3 WWE Clash In Paris – August 31 WWE Crown Jewel: Perth – October 11 WWE Survivor Series: WarGames – November 29It’s all about the tag team division this week, as the other match taped for SmackDown pits members of Motor City Machine Guns, Los Garzas, #DIY and Street Profits against The Wyatt Sicks.
Chris Sabin, Berto, Johnny Gargano and Montez Ford will all be representing their respective teams in the 8-man tag team match.
Meanwhile, Trish’s return means the card for Evolution is taking shape, after Iyo Sky picked Rhea Ripley as her challenger for the Women’s World Championship.
The Wyatt Sicks will be in action on Friday (Picture: Andrew Timms/WWE) On Raw, Iyo Sky chose Rhea Ripley as her opponent for Evolution (Picture: Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)Roxanne Perez will replace the injured Liv Morgan as she and Raquel Rodriguez defend the Women’s Tag Team Titles, and NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne will face Jordynne Grace.
There will also be a Battle Royal, with the winner getting a world championship match at Clash In Paris on August 31.
Why isn’t WWE SmackDown live on Netflix this week?
This Friday is the 4th of July, so WWE has taken the decision to give its talent and crew a few days off.
WWE is giving its stars some time off (Picture: Andrew Timms/WWE)According to WWE’s website, the next live show is Monday Night Raw on July 7, meaning the superstars will get a good break over the holidays.
Things will be back to normal after that, with episodes aired live over the summer.
